At its next meeting, the Oak Ridge City Council will consider whether to attempt to negotiate a better deal with the Environmental Protection Agency on the sewer upgrades or not.

About three and a half years ago, the EPA inspected the Oak Ridge sewer system and noted excessive rainwater leaking into that system during storms. In April 2010, EPA sent the city a show-cause letter which requested a face-to-face meeting to "show cause" why EPA should not intervene. Instead of meeting with EPA, the Council chose to phone-in an informal response. Subsequently, EPA imposed a 20-page Administrative Order filled with expensive add-on requirements and a $170,000 civil penalty.

The total cost of the sewer improvements is in the neighborhood of $50 million. Paying for these improvements has so far required two major utility rate increases and a major increase in city debt. More rate-hikes are likely.

The city still can, if it chooses, propose a reasonable, technically-based alternative to the current EPA Order. This approach would tailor the generic Order requirements to Oak Ridge, specifically.

Up until now, the Council has been reluctant to consider this path.

It's ironic that no one is claiming the upgrades will generate measurable (let alone significant) changes in the chemical or biological environment surrounding Oak Ridge. The improvements will likely be so small they will be lost in the noise. In other words, this $50 million expense will probably generate little actual environmental improvement.

While similar sewer upgrades have helped the environment elsewhere, it's not clear that they will do so in our particular case.

Time is running out. If the Council doesn't negotiate a better deal soon, the city will experience the full economic impact of these costs.

It would be a shame to burden our future without at least trying to find an alternative.

Hopefully, the Council will choose the path of negotiation at next Monday night's meeting. They shouldn't throw in the towel. There's too much at stake.